Welcome To My Nightmare
by Ghostwriter
Summary: Dream Masters 1. For two years, Casey and her friends had kept their secret. But now the evil's back, and it's time for the Dream Masters to band once again.
1. Prologue: The Dream Masters

WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE

DISCLAIMER

Blends Life With Derek with concepts of Nightmare On Elm Street. I know, I know, I have too many thoughts. Basically a way for me to use my favorite characters from NOES. Same characters from the series, though I'll attempt to put my own spin on them. Uses the "Dream Warriors" concept, so that's not mine either, and I'll be tweaking the NOES background storyline for my own purpose here and their dream powers will be revealed in the story. I own the plot though. Nancy, Casey, Rod, and Joey are all the same age. Belongs to Canadian Television and New Line Cinema. Story mainly takes place in the third season of Life With Derek, while Max and Casey are dating, but other than that, I have no clue what's been happening, so please, no comments about it not being accurate. All capitals are intentional.

PROLOGUE: DREAM MASTERS

_Thirteen-year old Nancy Thompson could feel the energy flowing from her fingertips as the electricity enveloped Fred Krueger. The man screamed._

_"Nancy, keep it up! It's working!" Rod Lane shouted. Casey MacDonald leaned against Joey Crusel and they all watched as the man who had tormented them in their sleep shrieked, and then disappeared._

_"Is that it? Is he dead?" Casey asked._

_"For the time being," a woman's voice answered. They all watched as an older woman with blonde hair materialized in front of them._

_"Who are you?" Nancy asked._

_"I'm Kristen Parker. I was one of Krueger's original victims. No one's ever actually defeated Krueger before. Oh, they fought him, and seemed to win. But __**you**__---you're not just Dream Warriors, you're Dream __**Masters**__," the woman said._

_"What does that mean?" Joey wondered._

"_You four will guard the Dream World. You will keep Krueger from taking anybody else. Remember: there's __**always**__ an Elm Street __**some**__where," Kristen told them. Then, she disappeared. _ With a gasp, the foursome woke up.

"Whoa. Weird," Joey breathed, as they all stood up

"Let's make a pact, right here and now. No one besides us knows about Krueger. We don't talk about him, we don't think about him, and we don't **dream** about him. No one besides us knows about the Dream Masters," Casey proposed. Nancy, Joey, and Rod all nodded in agreement. They each stretched out a hand and laid them on top of another. Then, they moved their hands downward, sealing the pact.


	2. Chapter One: He's Back

DISCLAIMER

Now takes place in the current season of LWD and Casey's stayed in touch with Rod, Nancy, and Joey since her mother remarried. Belongs to New Line Cinema and Canadian Television.

CHAPTER ONE: HE'S BACK

TWO YEARS LATER

_Fifteen-year old Casey MacDonald walked around the familiar boiler room. There was something wrong. She could feel it. It was almost like he was back again. But then, it had been two years since she had had a nightmare like this. He couldn't be back. There was a squeak and Casey jumped._

_"Oh, good grief. There's nothing there, Casey," she berated herself. But she had to be sure. It was her job to protect dreamers. The girl walked down the path she knew would lead to the boiler._ _There was a rapping sound. Casey's brows furrowed. What was that?_ _Curious, she followed the sound until she reached her destination._ _When she saw the old boiler, she walked up to it. For a moment, she just stared. Then she reached her right hand out._ _At first, she was afraid to touch it, but then she gathered up her courage. _ _She relaxed when she felt the cool touch and sighed in relief._

_"See, Casey? Still cold,"_ _she reassured herself. Just then, the furnace roared to life!_ _Casey cried out in pain as the metal turned hot. There came a screeing sound. With a gasp, she turned around. Someone chuckled sinisterly, and then there were the sounds of children playing. Then a rhyme that she hadn't heard in two years._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you. _

_Three, four, better lock your door. _

_Five, six, grab your crucifix. _

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. _

_Nine, ten, never sleep again. _

_There was another chuckle._

"_Casey," she heard someone say._

_"Bring it on, creep," she dared him. A man stepped into view._

_"A Dream Master. How fitting," he smirked. Then, he lunged at her. Casey quickly did a front flip, knocking him back. However, she kept a careful distance. Fred Krueger approached her again, and she jumped into the air, doing a series of spins so that she was far away from the furnace._

_"Can't win by yourself. Why don't you call one of your friends?" Krueger taunted, advancing on her._

_"Never," Casey responded. He lashed out with his glove, just barely missing the girl. They continued to fight. Suddenly, Casey realized that she had been trapped in a narrow hallway. Krueger laughed and reared back his right hand. Seeing no other choice, she slammed her hand against a pipe. _ With a frightened gasp, Casey awoke. She panted and tried to calm her pounding heart. Feeling pain in her right hand, she turned it around. Just as she knew there would be, there was a rectangular burn mark.

"He's back. Fred Krueger's back," she whispered to herself.


	3. Chapter Two: Warriors Reunited

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to New Line Cinema and Canadian Television.

Later that morning, Casey reached into her drawer, where she had hidden medicine, bandages, and gauzes. She disinfected the burn and wrapped it in a gauze. Then, she got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Morning, everybody," she greeted.

"Good morning, sweetie," her mother, Nora MacDonald responded. "Are you okay? You're looking a bit pale," she continued.

"I had a weird dream last night, but I'm okay," Casey assured her.

"All right," Nora accepted. Casey got her cereal from a shelf, not noticing when her stepbrother, Derek Venturi, grinned. She opened the box.

"DER-EK!" she screamed when she saw that it was empty. Derek laughed.

"What's the matter, Casey? Run out?" he taunted. His younger brother Edwin laughed, but stopped when he saw Casey's younger sister Lizzie glaring at him. Marti, as usual was in her own world.

"Really, Derek. Was it necessary to take her cereal?" his father, George, scolded.

"You can have some of mine," Casey's Lizzie offered.

"Thanks, Liz," the older girl said with a grateful smile, sitting down. After finishing breakfast, everyone continued their morning routine. When they were finally ready, they left. Once at J. Thompson High, Casey immediately met up with her best friend, Emily Davids at their lockers.

"Hey, Em," Casey greeted.

"Hi yourself," Emily acknowledged. Then, "You okay? You look a little frazzled."

"I'm fine. I just had a weird dream last night," Casey answered, getting the books she needed.

"You sure?" Emily checked.

"Yeah," Casey nodded. Emily looked past Casey.

"Who is **that**?" she queried. Puzzled at the intrigued sound of her friend's voice, Casey turned around. A boy with longish brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a green shirt with different picture designs, along with a blue jacket with a white fuzzy collar, decorated with three buttons on the right side positioned in a Mickey Mouse fashion and blue jeans ripped at the knees.

"Joey?" Casey asked in surprise.

"Casey!" Joey Crusel called. With a laugh, Casey dropped her backpack and bounded over to her friend, who took her into a crushing hug.

"Oh, man! I missed you," he said.

"I missed you too," she told him. "Did you just transfer here?" she queried, pulling back to look at him.

"Yeah," he answered.

"I'm glad you're here. We need to talk," Casey said.

"What is it?" Joey asked, becoming serious.

"Not here," Casey replied. "Let's wait until we can talk in private," she continued, as they walked back to where Emily was standing. She bent down to pick up her backpack.

"What happened to your hand?" Emily wondered, seeing the large bandage. He followed the girl's gaze.

"Casey? What's going on?" Joey asked in concern, as he gently cradled her hand.

"Look, Joey…we can't do this here," Casey insisted just as the warning bell rang. "What's your first class?" Casey wondered. Joey showed her his schedule.

"Oh, you're in luck. Your first class is also mine," Casey commented. They walked off. In the class, Derek watched as his stepsister and a boy walked in together.

"You must be new," he stated. He had to be. That was the only explanation for hanging out with his dorky stepsister.

"Gee, what was your first clue?" the boy retorted. Derek let out a small, scoffing laugh.

"You're new here, so I'm going to let that remark pass," he said. "I'm Derek Venturi," he continued.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" the boy asked. Derek stared in shocked annoyance. Who did this guy think he was talking to him like that?

"Forget it, Joey. He's too full of himself to have a real conversation with **anyone**," Casey told the boy. Joey laughed. Before Derek could come up with a good response, the teacher walked in and everyone took their seats.

"Good morning class," the woman greeted. Half of the class returned the greeting. "Class, we have a new student. I want everyone to give a warm welcome to Joey Crusel," she continued. The class greeted him and Joey gave a curt nod. Then, the woman moved on. Though he concentrated on the class, Joey found himself sneaking glances at Casey. Was she okay? She seemed really wound. And what was up with that gauze? Unfortunately, Joey didn't get a chance to ask his question until their lunch break. Joey grabbed Casey's arm and pulled her into a secluded section of the hall.

"Okay, what's going on?" he demanded.

"Fred Krueger's back," she answered. Joey's face paled.


	4. Chapter Three: A Girlfriend's Secret

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Victoria Alexandra (ch1): Thanks. Hope this is soon enough.

Mrsderekventuri13 (ch1): Glad you like.

Princetongirl: Thanks, hope this is soon enough.

CraneAndFalconForeven: Okey-doke.

DarkWolfYingFa: Glad you like it. Stay tuned.

DISCLAIMER

Concepts belong to New Line Cinema and Canadian Television. I only own the plot. I have no idea what Max or Sam's last name are, or what name I may have given them in other fics, so if they don't jive with something else, I apologize. And I was on IMDB (don't know accurate this is), and learned that the actual name of their high school Sir John Sparrow Thompson High. However, for continuity, I'm keeping it at J. Thompson High.

"Krueger?" Joey repeated. "Why didn't you call us?" he asked.

"That's what he **wanted** me to do. I would've been calling you into a trap," she answered.

"You think we should call Nancy and Rod later? Tell them what's going on?" Joey questioned.

"That'd be a good idea," Casey agreed. Then, before they could say anymore, Casey's boyfriend, Max Chambers, came sauntering up.

"Hey, you comin' to lunch, or what?" he asked, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah. Uh, Max, this is one of my best friends, Joey Crusel. Joey, this is my boyfriend, Max Chambers," Casey introduced them.

"Hey, nice to meet you," Joey said.

"Yeah, same here," Max agreed. "Look, I hate to break up the reunion, but---"

"No, it's fine," Joey said. "We'll talk later, okay?" he proposed to his friend.

"Count on it," Casey replied. Then, she and Max walked off.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Max wondered.

"Nothing really important. Just catching up on old times," Casey lied. _He wouldn't understand. He's not one of us_, she thought to herself.

"I didn't think catching up on old times would be so serious," Max commented.

"It's a long story. You wouldn't really understand," Casey said.

"Well, I can try," Max stated.

"Max, **no**," Casey insisted.

"What's the big deal? Why are you acting like you two share some big secret?" Max demanded, grabbing her right hand. Casey gasped in pain and it was then that he noticed the bandage.

"What happened?" he questioned as she jerked away.

"You wouldn't get it! You're not one of us! You don't---" she cut herself off with an annoyed sigh as Max noticed that everyone in the all, including Joey was staring at them.

"Hey, what's going on?" Joey asked, coming up.

"What did you say to her?" Max accused.

"Watch your mouth, buddy," Joey warned, protectively stepping in front of Casey.

"I'm not your buddy," Max stated.

"Stop it," Casey said, getting in between them. "Joey, let's just go," she suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," Joey agreed. They walked off.

"What was **that** all about?" a voice asked. Max turned to see Sam Jennings.

"I've got no idea," he replied.

"Did you get any lunch?" Joey questioned.

"No. You?" Casey responded.

"I had barely started walking when I heard you two fighting," Joey answered.

"Yeah, that wasn't really one of my finer moments, was it?" Casey asked.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go to lunch," Joey said. Then, they headed for the cafeteria. By the end of the day, all of J. Thompson High was buzzing with the news and rumors of Casey and Max's fight.

"I heard that the new kid made a move on Casey who didn't even fight it, and when Max caught them, she went postal," a girl said.

"I heard that they had a fight over a weird injury Casey had," another girl stated. Meanwhile, Max was busy trying to find his girlfriend. He finally found her in the parking lot, talking to the new boy, Joey. However, he couldn't hear what they were saying, so he moved closer. Casey shifted on her feet.

"So, what happened in your dream?" Joey asked.

"I was in the boiler room, and it just felt like he was there. But I figured it had been two years, why would he show up **now**?" Casey told him. Max's brows furrowed. Who was she talking about? "Anyway, I touched the furnace and it was cold. But then it came to life…and he was after me," she continued.

"And your hand?" he prompted.

"Burned myself on the pipe to wake myself up," came the answer. Now Max was **really** confused. Did Casey really believe that she had injured herself in a dream?

"Don't worry. We beat this freak before. We can beat him again," Joey assured, taking her hand. Casey let out a soft laugh and ducked her head. Max stepped forward---and crashed right into a garbage can. Casey and Joey turned around.

"Max? What the heck?" Casey demanded. At a loss for words, Max just grinned weakly.


	5. Chapter Four: Preparation And Death

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

LuckyandSamTrueLove: Thanks, here's more. I will.

CraneAndFalconForeven: Well, wait no more. Glad you think so.

Possessenggirl12: Thanks.

Princetongirl: Thanks, hope this is soon enough.

Indifference Romance: Thanks. Hope this is soon enough.

Windyfontaine (Chs 1-4): Yes, I did. Okay, good. I'm not alone. That bites. Enjoy. Yes, it is. Glad you're enjoyin'. Yep. Glad you think so. Yep. Glad you think so. Here's the next chap, and I will, thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Concepts belong to New Line Cinema, Wes Craven, and Canadian Television. I only own the plot. I don't know whether or not Casey and Derek took the bus or got picked up by their parents like Lizzie and Edwin, but I figured this would be more realistic. Quick question: does anyone think this is good enough to be turned into a series?

"Hey, Casey," Max managed to get out.

"So, what? You're spying on me now?" Casey demanded.

"Dude, do you not even grasp the concept of a private conversation?" Joey added. Before Max could reply, the bus that took them home came into view.

"Let's go," Joey said, adjusting his backpack. Casey went to pick up her pack, but Joey beat her to it.

"Always the gentleman," Casey said.

"Yeah, well, **someone**'**s** gotta help you keep your scrawny figure," Joey responded.

"Scrawny? I'll show you scrawny!" Casey exclaimed good-naturedly, as she began to playfully punch him. Joey laughed as they got into the bus. Max adjusted his backpack and followed them. Then, he waited as other kids came trickling out the door and onto their buses. As Derek and Sam got onto the bus, they noticed that Max was sitting alone.

"Hey, man, where's Casey?" Sam wondered, as they came up to sit with him.

"The keener probably decided to do extra credit at the library," Derek answered with a sneer.

"Actually, she's over there," Max said. They followed his gaze to see her with Joey, who she seemed to be talking seriously with.

"What's up with **that**?" Sam questioned.

"Apparently they're old friends," Max answered.

"He's friends with **that**?" Derek wondered, gesturing to his stepsister.

"Dude, harsh," Sam told him. Meanwhile, Joey and Casey were unaware of their audience.

"So, we definitely know that he's back…how do you want to prepare?" Joey asked softly.

"Well, we can't do this by ourselves. We're going to need Nancy and Rod," Casey stated.

"And we can't let Krueger take somebody," Joey mused.

"Yeah," Casey agreed. Then, "Have you kept training---you know, in **our** world?"

"Oh, yeah," Joey confirmed. "You?" he queried.

"Contrary to my family's beliefs, I do **not** study twenty-four/seven," Casey responded.

"This from a super-keener? Say it isn't so," Joey said in mock surprise. Casey laughed and threw her head back.

"Joey, you can always make me laugh," she told him. Max, Sam, and Derek watched as the two continued to talk. Suddenly, Casey threw her head back in laughter.

"She never laughs like that with **me**," Max noted.

"I've never seen her laugh like that either," Sam agreed.

"Guys, why are you staring at my stepsister?" Derek wondered. "Okay, **you** I can understand. You're her boyfriend," he said to Max. "But dude, you broke up with her, quit staring," he told Sam.

"Dude, you're not in the least bit curious as to what's going on?" Sam questioned.

"Nope," Derek replied. Minutes later, the bus reached the MacDonald household. With that, Sam, Derek, Casey, Joey, and Max all grabbed their stuff, stood up, and headed for the bus' door.

"Max, this isn't your stop," Casey said in surprise.

"I thought you'd want to hang out," Max told her.

"Well Max, normally I'd love to, but I can't today," Casey answered.

"Why not?" Max wondered.

"It' a whole big, long story that I don't have time to get into," Casey answered.

"Casey, come on. We got stuff to discuss," Joey urged.

"You're right," Casey agreed, and then followed him off of the bus, the others close behind.

"Mom, you here?" Casey questioned, after opening the door.

"Kitchen!" came the answer. Everyone traipsed in.

"Mom, look who's here," Casey said.

"Casey, it's been a long day and I'm not up for---" Nora started to say, turning around. Joey grinned.

"Joey!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, Mrs. MacDonald," Joey greeted.

"Actually, it's Venturi now," Nora corrected.

"So, wait. He's---" Joey gestured to Derek.

"Yeah," Casey confirmed with a grimace.

"Oooh. My condolences," Joey said.

"Thanks," Casey responded.

"Are you and your parents in town visiting for long?" Nora questioned before a fight could break out.

"We're here on a more permanent basis," Joey told her.

"You moved here?" Nora asked.

"Yeah," Joey confirmed. Then, "I'm sorry to be so abrupt Mrs. Venturi, but Casey and I have stuff to discuss."

"Of course," Nora answered.

"Come on," Casey said. The two went up to her room. She closed the door and locked it.

"Do you want me to call Nancy and Rod, or---" Casey's voice trailed off.

"I'll do it," Joey said. He pulled out his cell phone, turned it on, and let it boot up. After a few minutes, he dialed a number.

"Hello?" a girl asked.

"Nancy, it's Joey," Joey said.

"Oh, hey. How'd the move go?" Nancy asked.

"Good, good," Joey answered. Then, "Listen, I ran into Casey, and before you ask, she's doing fine. But, uh---have you slept?" he wondered.

"He's back, isn't he?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, we think so," Joey replied.

"I'll told Rod," Nancy assured him, and hung up before he could say anything more.

"She's **gotta** learn how to say good-bye," Joey complained. Casey laughed. Then, she reached under her bed and slid out a secret compartment.

"I can't believe you still have that," Joey commented.

"Well, I had to hide our stuff **somewhere**," Casey replied. They knelt down and opened the box. In the box were various old newspaper clippings.

"Here it is---everything we know about Fred Krueger," Casey said.

"The child-murdering freak who gets off on haunting people's dreams," Joey added.

"And of course---" Casey began, holding up another sheet of paper.

"Our dream powers," Joey finished.

"Yeah," Casey said. She turned her attention to the papers, appearing to be unaffected. However, Joey caught the slight tremble in her hands.

"Hey, don't worry. We beat him before. We can do it again," he assured, taking her hand.

"I was hoping it was over," she admitted.

"I know. Me too. But you remember what Kristen said," he responded.

"'There's always an Elm Street somewhere'," she quoted. She blew out a breath. "So let's get to work," she continued. They slapped palms, back handed the other's hand, and then slapped palms again. Then, Casey put one of her c.d.'s in, pressed play, and the two began sparring. Meanwhile, one of Derek's friends, Greg Spiers, was at his own house, studying for an exam. He rubbed his face with a hand, and yawned. He was **so** tired. True, he had only been studying for ten minutes, but he had stayed up late the previous night, running hockey drills. He tried to focus on his homework to no avail. With another yawn, he closed his eyes. _Greg looked around. Where was he? This place wasn't familiar. SCREE! He jumped at the sound. _

_"Who's there?" he wondered. SCREE!_ _This time the noise sounded closer. "Okay, not funny," he declared._

_"Whoever said I was joking, Greg?" a voice asked. The teen turned around---and found himself face-to-face with a burned man in a weird hat wearing a red-and-green sweater_. _But the thing that really stood about him was the glove with four knives on his right hand._ _The man grabbed him._

_"How sweet. A gift for the Dream Masters," he sneered. Then, he stuck the four gleaming blades into the teen's neck and cut downward. _


	6. Chapter Five: The Dream World

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: Glad you think so. Sort of, yes. Hint taken. Happy reading. Yeah, I remember that fic. Glad you think so. Keep reading. You too.

CraneAndFalconForeven: Okey-doke. Hope this is soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Concepts and a scene that was taken from NOES 3 belong to Wes Craven and Canadian television. I only own the plot.

The next morning, everything seemed to be normal as the MacDonald/Venturi household got ready for their morning. Casey quickly got her things together.

"Are you okay?" Lizzie questioned.

"I need to talk to Joey. I have a bad feeling about something," Casey answered. _If only he hadn't gone home so early_, she thought to herself.

"Well, tell him I said 'Hi' and that it was great having him over," Lizzie requested.

"Will do," Casey agreed. Then, she grabbed her things and headed for the door.

"Where are you going? The bus doesn't come for another twenty minutes," a voice reminded her.

"I'm not taking the bus. I need some air," Casey replied to Edwin's question.

"What do you mean?" Edwin queried.

"Just what I said," Casey answered. Then, before the younger boy could push it anymore, she quickly left. As she walked in the direction of the school, Casey found her mind wandering. She had gone into the Dream World last night, but things had been quiet…almost **too** quiet. She didn't like it. Krueger was up to something. She could feel it. _What are you up to, Krueger?_ she wondered. The sound of a honking horn brought her out of her reverie. She looked to see Max and his mother.

"Casey! Hey, Casey!" Max exclaimed.

"Oh. Hi, Max," Casey greeted.

"Do you need a ride?" Mrs. Chambers offered, stopping.

"Oh, no thank you, Ma'am," Casey replied.

"Come on. If you don't hurry, you'll be late," Max stated. She hesitated.

"Okay," she finally agreed. She got into the vehicle and they continued on.

"Is everything all right, Casey?" Mrs. Chambers asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I just had a weird dream last night," Casey lied. Max twisted in the seat to look at his girlfriend.

"Really?" he queried.

"Yeah. It's no big deal though," she said. Then, she turned to stare out the window, effectively ending the conversation. Max's brows furrowed. What wasn't she telling him? He began to reach over to her, but a look from his mother made him sit back down in his seat. Casey stared out the window and absently played with the small necklace she had put on earlier that morning. Then, she started humming. Using the rearview mirror, Mrs. Chambers looked at that girl. Was she okay? The woman was about to ask this, but realized that they were at the school.

"Okay, kids. Here we are," she announced, stopping the vehicle.

"Thanks, Mom," Max stated.

"Thanks, Mrs. Chambers," Casey said at the same time. She grabbed her backpack and hurried out of the car.

"Hey, wait!" Max called, quickly grabbing his stuff and hurrying after her. But Casey seemed to have a mission and just continued on. She walked quickly down the halls until---someone grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. A hand over mouth muffled the startled yelp.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," a voice hurriedly apologized.

"Dang it, Joey! You scared me half to death," Casey chided.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to," Joey apologized again. "I just---**really** needed to talk to you. He's up to something. I can feel it," he continued.

"It was too quiet last night," she agreed.

"You think something happened?" Joey asked.

"I don't know," Casey answered. Meanwhile, she was unaware that Max had been following her and had seen her get pulled aside. Curious, he had hid out of sight, but within hearing distance.

"I got an e-mail from Nancy this morning. She said things were fairly quiet on their end too," he heard Joey say.

"He's up to something. Krueger wouldn't attack and then just stay away. That freak has a plan," Casey stated. Max's brows furrowed. Who were they talking about? Before either of them could say anymore, the warning bell rang.

"We'll finish this conversation later," Joey determined and they walked to their first class. Meanwhile, Derek was looking for Greg.

"Hey, have you seen Greg?" he asked a boy.

"Unh-uh. Sorry, man," came the response.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Derek dismissed, and then walked off. He ignored the warning bell, and continued his search. _Come on, man! Where are you?_ Derek wondered. Then, he came upon some of his teammates.

"Hey, have any of you seen Greg?" he wondered.

"No, not yet," they answered.

"Weird," he said.

"He's probably just playin' hooky," one of the boys commented.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Derek grinned. With shared laughter, they walked to their first class. Unsurprisingly, his stepsister was already there, along with her friend. What **did** surprise him was the troubled look on her face.

"What's with you? We don't have anything due," he sneered. Then, in a slightly panicky voice, "We **don**'**t** have anything due, do we?"

"No," Casey assured. Then, the teacher came in and immediately started lecturing. Derek felt himself nodding and jerked awake. _Come on, man. He's not that boring_, he silently chided. However, it was a losing battle. _Derek looked around. This wasn't his usual dream. His usual dream consisted of a cheerleader and his living room couch, not some freaky boiler room._

_"Hello?" he asked. There was a screeing sound and he jumped. "Who's there?" he questioned. The screeing came again. Then, he heard a kid's rhyme._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you. _

_Three, four, better lock your door. _

_Five, six, grab your crucifix. _

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. _

_Nine, ten, never sleep again. _

"_This isn't funny! Knock it off!" he shouted._ _The only answer was another scree. Derek tensed and took off running. Without warning, he found himself falling down a flight of stairs. __**What? They weren't there a minute ago**__, the boy thought to himself_. _Derek gasped and backed up towards a wall. There came a sinister chuckle and the boy watched as a man came into view._

_"Man, you're ugly," he gasped, staring at the charred skin. The man only laughed maniacally and waved his right hand through the air._ _Derek's eyes widened when he saw the four gleaming knives. He panted nervously and tried to hide against the wall. _ _The man continued to approach. He raised an arm and began to strike. Without warning, Casey in front of him to block the attack! She kicked him away._

_"Okay, Krueger. Let's dance," she snapped, as her outfit took on a more punkish visage._ _There were two simultaneous clicks and Derek was suddenly aware that in his stepsister's hands were two old-fashioned switchblades. As the man called Krueger and his stepsister went at it, Derek stared. __**What is going on here?**__ he wondered_. _Casey could feel the blades in her hands spinning madly. Sparks flew as she and Krueger fought_._ Suddenly, she felt something slice her right cheek. _ _Krueger laughed. She groaned in pain as blood trickled down her face and staggered back. _ _The man grabbed her and threw her in another part of the room. Derek scrambled to his feet and tried to get to her, but was cut off by a door unexpectedly materializing in front of him._

_"What?" he asked. He frantically tried to find a knob, to no avail. _

_"Casey! Casey!" he shouted, pounding on the door. On the other side, Casey scooted backwards, trying to get away from the man. _ _He chuckled as he advanced, brandishing his razors_.

_"Joey, Nancy, Rod! Help me!" Casey exclaimed._

_"No help for the dead," Krueger chuckled. Then, he roared in pained surprise as electricity enveloped him. Joey and Rod hurried to Casey and helped her up. A strike from Krueger knocked Nancy to the ground_. _ Joey kicked Krueger away and the three rushed to their friend. Then, they ran off. They found the door that Krueger had conjured up and barricaded it with their bodies._

_"Who are you?" Derek wondered, as he joined their efforts. _

_"We need to get out of this dream now!" Nancy told Casey, ignoring the question. Casey put her hands on her head and concentrated._ _Then, they all disappeared just as the door burst open. _In their own respective schools, Nancy Thompson and Rod Lane both gasped as they suddenly woke up. Ignoring the curious looks, they each grabbed their backpacks and took off. Back at J. Thompson High, Derek, Casey, and Joey all jerked awake.

"Casey!" Joey exclaimed, rushing to her.

"I'm okay," Casey assured him.

"Your face," a girl said in surprise as Joey took off his jacket and pressed the cloth against the cuts.

"What the heck was **that**?" Derek wondered.


	7. Chapter Six: Explanation

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

MoonlitePrincez314: Thank, I will. No inspiration.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeet: Thanks, hope this is soon enough.

Princetongirl: Thanks, hope this is soon enough.

CraneAndFalconForeven: It wouldn't have made sense for Max to be in Derek's dream. You'll see. You'll see. You'll see. You'll see. You'll see. I will.

Windyfontaine: I take it you like. Yeah, I thought this would be a good way. Thanks. Here's more. I will, you too.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and Canadian Television. I only own characters you don't recognize.

"These are pretty deep. I think we better take you to the nurse's station," Joey said.

"I'm okay. We both know he's done worse," Casey replied, keeping the jacket in place.

"Case, I can't treat these," Joey stated.

"Come on, it's just like my arm," Casey told him.

"Those weren't as deep. Back then he was just trying to kill you for the heck of it. This time he **knows** you're dangerous," Joey shot back. The girl paused. He had a point.

"Okay, fine," Casey agreed with a sigh. They stood up and went to the nurse's station, with Derek, Sam, and Max close behind.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" Casey wondered.

"What happened?" Max asked.

"How'd you get those scratches?" Sam added.

"And who was that guy?" Derek questioned.

"It's okay. I'm fine," Casey told them as they all entered the nurse's station.

"What's going on?" the woman asked in confusion.

"She hurt herself," Joey answered, taking away the jacket to reveal the wounds.

"Oh, my word. How did you do **that**?" the nurse gasped.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Casey responded.

"I'll see what I can do, but you should really go to a hospital," the nurse told her.

"Just do what you can," Casey stated. The nurse did as requested and the girl winced.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone tried to cut you with four razors," she commented. Casey and Joey tensed. Noting this, the woman looked to them.

"Does someone want to fill me in?" she questioned.

"It's---hard to explain," Casey said.

"Well, I'm kind of curious myself," Max declared.

"Yeah, Casey. Come on. How the heck did you just suddenly appear in my dream?" Derek added.

"What are you talking about?" Casey questioned.

"You know---you were there. So was he," Derek answered, gesturing to Joey.

"Derek, I think you've been hit in the head too many times," Casey said, giving him a look warning him to keep his mouth shut. For once, Derek did as directed. After the nurse was done, she sent them on their way.

"Casey, I want to know what's going on---**now**," Derek demanded. She sighed.

"With what we're about to tell you---you all have to put aside **whatever** you may believe, and just trust us," she told them.

"O…kay," Max agreed slowly. Casey looked around furtively, and then she and Joey led them to a secluded hallway.

"So, what's going on?" Derek demanded again.

"Two years ago, kids on our street started dying. No one could explain it---they were all just dying in their sleep," Casey began.

"Wait. These were kids?" Sam queried.

"Yeah. But, uh---the deaths---they were horrible," Casey replied, her voice catching.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"I saw my best friend slashed to ribbons. She was thrown all over the room," Casey said. She choked back a sob.

"It really shook her up," Joey said, rubbing her arm sympathetically.

"Joey and Rod were the first ones to believe me," Casey added. She smiled ruefully. "Wouldn't you know it? The super-keener witnesses a gruesome murder and the first people to believe me are the town hoods," she joked.

"Hey," Joey protested good-naturedly.

"Nancy got on board soon after, and she forced her mom to talk," Casey continued.

"So, what's the deal with this guy, uh---**Krueger**, I think you called him," Derek commented.

"When he was alive, he was a child murderer. He got freed on a technicality and the parents hunted him down and roasted him," Casey answered.

"And now he haunts people's dreams, killing them, spreading around even **more** terror," Joey added.

"Wait, wait. I'm not sure I'm buying this," Sam stated.

"Look at my face! You think I did that to myself?" Casey responded. Sam stopped. She had a point there, and he had no explanation.

"Okay, I buy the idea of some guy killing people in their dreams since I saw him myself, but what I **don**'**t** get is how you all appeared in my dream," Derek commented.

"Casey pulled us in. She can manipulate dreams," Joey said.

"Huh?" Derek, Max, and Sam asked.

"Yeah, we're Dream Masters," Casey added. The three boys became even more confused.

"What?" they chorused.


	8. Chapter Seven: New Arrivals

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Princetongirl: Thanks. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

MoonlitePrincez314: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I will, hope you do too.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeeT: Thanks. Thanks. Here's more. Okey-doke. As Fred Krueger said in NOES 3, "Your wish is my command".

Windyfontaine: Glad you approve, that's right. Here's the next part. You too.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Canadian Television and Wes Craven. I only own stuff you don't recognize.

"Look, that part of the story is even longer, and we don't have time to do it here. Let's just wait until school's out," Casey said. Derek started to protest, but Sam shook his head.

"Okay, fine," Derek agreed. Then, they all went back to their classes. Meanwhile, Nancy and Rod were on the road heading for Casey's town.

"Rod, I can**not** believe you stole your own father's car," Nancy said.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Rod responded.

"Neither one of us can legally drive yet!" Nancy reminded him. "We're gonna get caught," she added.

"Relax. I got it covered," Rod assured.

"What do you---no, wait. Scratch that. I don't want to know," Nancy stated.

"That'd be wise," Rod told her. Nancy sighed and leaned back in the seat. He glanced at her. "Hey, don't worry. We beat him before, we can do it again," he assured her.

"Did you see what he did to her face?" Nancy wondered.

"I saw," Rod confirmed. "I'll tell you this: that's the **only** thing he's gonna do to her," he added with a growl.

"Big, macho, tough guy," his friend teased.

"Come on. You think I can forget what he did? She was---she was heartbroken," he said.

"I know," she agreed. She sighed and fell silent. Rod's eyes clouded. The last two years had been quiet. Why was this happening **now**? What had stirred Krueger up? And what could they do? They certainly let the freak kill again. He glanced at the dash, making sure they had enough gas and that he was going the speed limit. It wouldn't help Casey if he and Nancy got arrested. Surprisingly, they were never stopped and they reached Casey's hometown in no time.

"What school did she say she was at again?" Rod questioned.

"Um, it was in a previous e-mail. Uh---J. Thompson High," Nancy answered.

"Road search," Rod announced.

"You're crazy," Nancy said. However, she didn't say anything else as her friend drove in search of the school. Minutes later, she caught sight of a building.

"Hey, is that it?" she questioned, pointing. Her friend followed her gaze.

"Yeah, that's it," he answered, pulling into the parking lot and turning the car off. Then, they ran up the stairs and Rod threw open the door. Casey and the others were in class when they heard the commotion.

"What on Earth?" Emily questioned, standing up.

"I've got no clue," Casey answered, doing the same. Curious, she walked towards the door.

"Miss MacDonald, please go back to your seat," the teacher required. For the first time in her life, Casey ignored an adult and continued out into the hall. As she did so, she noticed a boy and a girl running towards her.

"Rod? Nancy?" she questioned in confusion.

"Casey!" Rod and Nancy chorused, hurrying towards her. As the three approached each other, the teacher tried to regain control of her class to no avail. Everyone crowded around the door.

"How did you---" Casey began to ask. However, her voice trailed off and she looked to Rod. "You stole your father's car again, didn't you?" she realized.

"Guilty," Rod admitted with a weak grin. To everyone's surprise, Casey drew them both into a big hug.

"Oh man, am I glad to see you guys," she said in relief. The class shared a collective look of confusion. What was going on?


	9. Chapter Eight: Strange Behavior

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: Yep. Guess you'll have to read and see. Thanks, you too.

Lildevil0644: Thanks. Here you go.

OokamisFang: Thanks, glad you think so. Well, keep reading. Bye!

Laura Ferrari: Thanks. Thanks. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeeT: Nope, thanks. Okey-doke.

Princetongirl: Thanks, sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and Canadian Television. I only own the plot. I figured since Casey and Derek ride the bus in this fic, they'd most likely have keys for the house in case their parents were working late and I **believe** the front door had a small see-through window, but I'm not positive. For this fic, it does though.

Rod put his arms around Casey as she buried her face into his chest. He frowned as he felt the trembling of her body. That wasn't like her.

"Hey, what is it?" he asked.

"I had never been so scared. I was so sure I wasn't gonna make it out of there," she said, her voice muffled

"Hey, whoa. Come on. You're a Dream Master," Rod reminded, pulling away to look at her.

"I'm out of practice," Casey said. "I---I used to be able to take him longer," she continued.

"Is **that** what this is about? That you had to call us in?" Rod questioned as Joey came out to join them.

"You know we're stronger together. That's how we became Dream Masters so fast," Nancy reminded her.

"Yeah, we're a team," Joey added, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But I don't want to get you guys hurt---or worse," Casey said.

"Hey, you don't think we can take this guy down?" Rod asked.

"After all we've been through?" Nancy added.

"And so you're a little rusty. We **all** are. It's been quiet for two years," Joey reminded her. "But we'll get him. Just like last time," he continued. Inside the classroom, Sam, Max, and Derek looked at each other.

"What's going on?" Derek wondered.

"Beats me. Maybe it has something to do with that story Casey told us about," Max answered.

"What story?" Emily questioned.

"Um---" the boys looked at each other uncertainly. Should they tell her? Emily looked at them in confusion. What was going on?

"It's---it's Casey story. She'd have to tell you," Derek said, opting for the easy way out. Emily raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Since when did Derek not take a chance butt into Casey's business? Derek ignored Emily's look of confusion and concentrated on his stepsister, who was talking to her friends. Suddenly, as if they had all come to a simultaneous conclusion, they started down the hall.

"What the---" Derek questioned.

"She is **not** ditching!" Emily gasped.

"Looks like she is," Derek commented. Now even more curious, the class walked out of the room, ignoring the teacher who unsuccessfully tried to regain control of the class. Casey looked over her shoulder.

"We're being followed," she reported.

"Why?" Rod wondered.

"Because I'm a super-keener and I'm ditching," Casey replied.

"She's got a point," Nancy said.

"Well, too bad for them. We gotta up our practice," Joey stated. They broke into a run. They got into Rod's car; Rod started the engine, and then took off. Minutes later, they were at Casey's house, where Casey used her key to get in.

"I need to get something from my room," Casey said, heading up stairs. In her room, she looked through her room, pulled some stuff out of her secret compartment, looked until she found the c.d. she wanted, and then went back downstairs.

"Got everything?" Nancy questioned.

"Yep," Casey responded, handing her friends the supplies. Then, she put on the c.d. and went to work. Meanwhile, Derek, Sam, Max, and Emily had grown even more curious than their classmates and had followed Casey and her friends. The other kids, though just as confused, had been too afraid of repercussions to leave school grounds.

"I can**not** believe Casey ditched," Emily hissed.

"Yeah, dude. That's more of **your** scene," Sam agreed. A few miles later, Derek realized where the others were headed.

"Why are they going home?" he wondered.

"None of this is making any sense," Max stated.

"Can't argue with that," Derek mumbled. He was beginning to feel like he was in an old _Twilight Zone_ episode. When they got to Venturi house, they heard muffled music.

"What the heck?" Max asked. The kids peeked through see-through window that let a person know who was at the door.

"What's going on?" Emily questioned. Derek shook his head, but could only stare. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Casey and her friends were in the living room, moving in time with the music, and performing what seemed to be intense Martial Arts.


	10. Chapter Nine: More Explanations

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

InsaneGiggles: Thanks. Okey-doke. I will.

Princetongirl: Thanks. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

Lildevil0644: Thanks. Sorry I made you wait so long.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeeT: Thanks. Thanks. Wow, I'm flattered. Glad you're enjoying it.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to New Line Cinema and Canadian Television. I only own characters you don't recognize. I use the same story Marge told Nancy in NOES 1. And I may go into details not mentioned in the prologue, but it's not meant to be inconsistent.

"I don't believe it," Derek said, shaking his head. He had never seen Casey move like this before. It was weird. He took his house key out of his pocket and opened the door. As he did so, Joey noticed the newcomers and turned off the stereo. Everyone turned around.

"Hey, guys," Casey greeted, trying to sound casual.

"'Hey guys'? That's all you say after being caught skipping school?" Derek questioned in disbelief.

"We had to train. We've found that we're actually stronger in our dreams when we train in the real world," the other girl---Nancy, Derek thought it was---stated.

"What?" Derek, Sam, Max, and Emily questioned together.

"It's kind of complicated. Let's just leave it at that," Rod suggested.

"O…kay," Emily agreed slowly. "Just tell me one thing: what's going on here?" she demanded.

"What, you guys didn't tell her?" Casey asked in surprise.

"Hey, it's your story," Sam reminded her.

"Yeah," Max added.

"We better sit down for this," Casey commented. Everyone did so and Casey once again told their story. She told them how their friends had started dying in their sleep, and how none of the parents had wanted to talk. When she got to what she had witnessed, Casey's voice broke, and Joey, Nancy, and Rod put sympathetic hands on her arms and legs.

"Our parents didn't want to talk until Nancy forced her mother," Rodney added. "Through her we learned that Fred Krueger was a child murderer who killed like, what---twenty kids in the neighborhood?" he queried, looking at the girl.

"Yeah, that's what Mom said," Nancy confirmed.

"Anyway, he got freed because a search warrant wasn't signed in the right place," Rod continued.

"And according to Mrs. Thompson, they followed him to the boiler room he used and burned him in there alive," Joey chimed in.

"So wait. If he's dead---how can he be in our dreams?" Derek wondered.

"Well, we didn't really understand that either, until we met Kristen," Casey said.

"Kristen?" Derek, Emily, Sam, and Max chorused.

"Kristen Parker---one of Krueger's first victims. She told us that we were the first to actually defeat Krueger, that we had caught onto the dream skills faster than any else had before," Casey answered.

"Dream skills?" the others chorused.

"Taking a dream and making it work for you. Kind of like the Balinese," Joey explained.

"So let me get this straight: in your dreams, you have powers?" Derek asked.

"Precisely," Casey confirmed.

"So you guys are like, what again, exactly?" Max wondered.

"We're Dream Masters. According to what Kristen told us in other dreams, Dream Warriors were kids who decided to face Krueger---take him on, try to stop him with their own powers---but either couldn't or didn't want to take him on again after he resurfaced," Nancy told them.

"So, what's the difference?" Sam questioned.

"Well, we discovered our powers earlier than the other Warriors, and no matter what, we always stuck together---" Casey began.

"And we got our hands on anything and everything about dream skills, and worked on implementing them," Nancy interjected.

"Which in turn caused our powers to grow way beyond that of a Warrior," Joey continued.

"It was really cool," grinned Rod.

"This all sounds so scary. Why would you want to do this?" Emily wondered.

"Because he killed our friends," Casey replied. "He tried to kill **us**. How could we **not** fight him?" she went on. Just then, the door opened to reveal George and Nora.

"You two want to explain why we were both called by the school to say that you left in the middle of class?" George demanded.

"Well, I can't speak for Derek, Max, Sam, and Emily, but Rod, Nancy, Joey, and I had work to do," Casey answered.

"'Work to do'? You had 'work to do'?" Nora repeated.

"Yes," Casey responded.

"What could be so important that you would just take off?" Nora demanded.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that myself," George added.

"Fred Krueger," Casey told them.

"Who?" George questioned. However, Nora's face paled.


	11. Chapter Ten: Nora's Confession

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Chocolatebrownies: Thanks. Here's an update.

CraneAndFalconForeven: Wait and see. Sorry it took so long.

InsaneGiggles: Thanks. I will.

Pinkprepx2012: Thanks. Yep. Glad you like. Sorry it took so long.

Princetongirl: Thanks, sorry this isn't soon enough.

Windyfontaine (Chs 9-10): Thanks. It's okay, I understand. Yep, enjoy. Yep. I'm glad---well, I'm in school right now, so it'll be hit and miss. Thanks, you too.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and Canadian Television. Again, using the story from the original _Nightmare_, and I'm changing Casey's family history somewhat.

"I see," Nora finally said. "We'll, uh---we'll talk about this later, Casey," she continued, heading for the kitchen.

"Nora?" George asked in confusion, following her. The woman went into the kitchen, where she ended up leaning against the counter for support.

"Nora, what's wrong?" George questioned, coming up to her.

"She's still cleaning up my mess, Georgie," Nora said.

"What are you talking about?" George queried.

"Fred Krueger. He was a child murderer in our old neighborhood who killed twenty kids---kids we all knew. It was bad enough when we didn't know who was doing it, but when we found out it was Fred, it just got a lot worse," Nora said softly.

"He killed kids, how could it get any worse?" George wondered. He felt sick. If anything ever happened to their kids, he didn't know **what** he'd do.

"Because somebody forgot to sign the search warrant in the right place and Fred was freed just like that," Nora told him.

"What?" George asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know. Like I said---it was a lot worse," Nora nodded.

"I can only imagine how upset you were---" George began.

"Yeah, we were upset," Nora interrupted. "So we all did the only thing we thought we **could** do at the time," she continued.

"Which was what?" George prodded.

"We followed him to the boiler room where he used to take his kids, poured gasoline all around it, made a trail right up to the door, lit it up, and watched it burn," Nora answered. George stared in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Nora had willingly killed someone? Granted, he could understand **wanting** to with what she had just told him, but actually doing it?

"You mean, you---" he began to ask.

"Yes," Nora nodded. "Dennis and I tried to stay together after that, but things just fell apart, and we finally got divorced. But it still wasn't over," she continued.

"What do you mean?" George wondered.

"Two years ago, before you and I met, our kids started dying again---only **this** time it was in their sleep. We didn't know what was happening until Casey and the others forced Marge to talk, and then I knew, though I don't know if anyone else realized it," Nora said.

"What---what was happening?" George asked.

"Fred Krueger had come back in our kids' dreams to kill them---to take his revenge," Nora told.

"Whoa. Wait. That's crazy," George interjected loudly. Nora shushed him and led him away from the door that led to the family room.

"Casey doesn't know this, but one night when this was all happening the first time, I stayed and watched her as she slept. At first it was peaceful, but then she started having a nightmare. I saw her get cut right here," she whispered, gesturing to a spot on the back of the neck. George's mouth dropped in shock. "It's why she prefers long hair---it hides the scars," she continued in the same tone, her voice catching.

"Oh, Nora," George said sympathetically.

"I already lost one child, Georgie. He already took my Robby. I can't lose Casey too," Nora told her husband, beginning to cry. George took Nora into his arms and the woman cried.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Reminiscing

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Supernatural GilmoreGirls: Thanks, here you go.

Windyfontaine: Yep. Here you go, you too.

StoryTagger: Ya tagged me! Yep. Okey-doke. Get some candy too. No such thing. I will.

Princetongirl: Thanks, I will.

InsaneGiggles: Thanks. Thanks.

Pinkprepx2012: Yeah…it'll come. Casey's older brother.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeeT: Yeah, thanks. Glad you think so. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and Canadian Television. I only own whatever you don't recognize.

Hours later, Casey, Rod, Nancy, and Joey sat in her living room talking as Derek, Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti watched t.v, Nora, and George watched t.v. in the family room.

"Nora, are you sure we shouldn't go check on them? I mean, we'd never allow Derek to have girls in his room," George stated.

"All right, if you want to check on them, go ahead; but I can guarantee that they're not doing anything they shouldn't," Nora told him. George got up off the couch and headed for Casey's room. He knew he was being ridiculous, but there was just something about those two boys that he didn't trust. In her room, Casey had opened up her secret compartment, and she and the others had been looking through her things. They had finally stopped when Casey had found a spiked bracelet.

"I miss him so much," she said softly. Joey looked at her sympathetically.

"Do you remember much about him?" he questioned.

"I remember loving the way he dressed---it was so cool. He had his own style. Robby didn't care what **anyone** thought," Casey said. Hearing voices, George came up to the door. He was about to announce his presence, when he realized that Casey was talking.

"He never pushed me away or yelled at me. Not even when he caught me messin' with his stuff," she said. George's brows furrowed. Who was she talking about? She laughed. "I remember when he caught me with this. It was so big and it looked so ridiculous on me. Robby just laughed and called me his little punkette." George's face grew serious as he realized the girl was talking about her brother.

"And that's why it became your dream power," he heard one of the boys state.

"Yes. I'm strong…like Robby," Casey confirmed. Joey put his hands on Casey's shoulders.

"You've always been strong. Even when you're you," he told her.

"I know. It just makes it feel like he's actually with me," Casey said. George silently walked away from the door and back downstairs.

"She's fine," he sheepishly said to his wife.

"What'd I tell you?" she asked with a smirk. Lizzie chuckled and the other Venturi kids looked at their parents in confusion. Why was Nora being so casual? It didn't make sense. After all, if Derek had members of the opposite sex in his room, she'd be freaking out. Finally, Casey and her friends came down.

"We'll see you guys later," Nancy stated.

"Yeah, and I gotta call my folks and make sure I'm not into too much trouble for stealing Dad's car," Rod added.

"Nancy, do you have a place to stay?" Nora questioned.

"Um, well…" the girl hesitated.

"You're staying here," Nora declared.

"Fine by me," Nancy shrugged.

"And Rod's staying with me," Joey announced.

"Cool," Rod said.

"I'm gonna---yeah," Nancy stated, and then went back upstairs.

"You ready, man?" Rod asked.

"Yeah," Joey responded. Casey walked him to the door.

"See ya in a bit," he told her softly.

"See ya," she replied. Then, without a word, she went back upstairs, where she changed into her pajamas. Then, she and Nancy settled down in her bed, and they both began to dream.


	13. Chapter Twelve: The Next Morning

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: Yep. Very true, yep. Thanks.

Princetongirl: Thanks. Hope this is soon enough.

Chocolatebrownies: Thanks. Hope this is soon enough.

InsaneGiggles: Thanks. Thanks. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and Canadian Television. From the few eps I've seen of this season, it doesn't seem like Lassiter likes Casey, hence the attitude. I only own characters you don't recognize.

The next morning, both Casey and Nancy bolted up in a cold sweat. The girls panted shakily and tried to calm themselves down. Feeling a searing pain, Nancy grabbed her arm.

"That freak," she growled.

"Top drawer," Casey said. Nancy reached over to the dresser, opened the top door, and got out some bandages that were quickly wrapped around her arm. Then, they got up and got dressed. In his own room, Joey and Rod each jerked awake.

"Way too close, man," Rod panted.

"Man, tell me about it. Thought he was gonna slice and dice me for a sec," Joey answered in the same breath, rubbing his throat.

"You better wear a turtleneck," Rod advised.

"Yeah, somehow I don't think the explanation of a dream stalker will bode well with the teachers," Joey agreed. The boys chuckled. The two got up and changed from their pajamas to regular clothes. After that, they grabbed their things, went downstairs, filched a couple of granola bars, and then headed out. Once they were both in the car, Joey started the engine and drove off. At school, the boys immediately began searching for their friends.

"Rod! Joey!" Casey gasped.

"Oh, thank God," the boys sighed together.

"You guys okay?" they asked together.

"**Us**? What about **you**?" Casey questioned, putting a hand on the side of Joey's neck.

"I'm all right. Looks like my sonic scream's got some use after all," he assured.

"It's always useful," Nancy said. Casey blew out a worried breath.

"What am I gonna tell Max?" she wondered.

"The truth. He knows about Krueger," came the answer.

"I failed. I'm a Dream Master and I failed," she berated herself.

"You're human," was the reminder.

"Krueger got him. He got one of Max's best friends---all because I was too slow," Casey moped.

"Hey, ease up on yourself, Case. This wasn't your fault," Joey told her.

"But if I hadn't gotten distracted---" Casey began. Joey grabbed her shoulders roughly.

"Listen to me! He knew that would get to you! It's why he did it! He loves to mess with our heads, remember?" he reminded her. Casey looked at him and her throat muscles constricted.

"I could've stopped it. I could've saved Shelly. If I had just moved sooner," she said.

"You were in shock. You didn't understand what was going on back then---**none** of us did," Joey responded. Casey blew out a breath. "I just---I just don't know how I'm gonna tell Max," she said softly. Joey released Casey and put a gentle hand on her cheek. Meanwhile, Max was busy looking for one of his friends.

"Hey, has anyone seen Bobby around?" he questioned.

"No, man. It's weird. I mean, first Greg dies, and now Bobby's missing," another of his friends answered.

"Yeah, weird," Max mused. _What's going on around here?_ he wondered. Maybe he should talk to Casey. She'd probably know. Just then, he noticed a couple of uniformed officers talking to Principal Lassiter. At first, he was confused, but then it clicked. Greg had died a couple of days ago. And if the police were here today…suddenly, Max felt sick. With a retching sound, he dashed towards the restroom.

"Hey! No run---" Principal Lassiter's admonishment died away when he heard the gagging sound. "Never mind," he finished somewhat lamely. _Better to have him run to the restroom than puke all over the halls_, he thought to himself. Max made it into the bathroom just in time to dump his breakfast into the nearest sink. Several seconds later, he looked up.

"Man, why is this happening?" he wondered. Then, he splashed some water on his face and headed back out.

"Son, are you feeling okay?" an officer asked as he came towards them.

"Yeah, I…just kinda put two and two together when I saw you guys here. Bobby's dead, isn't he?" Max responded.

"You knew the victim?" the officer queried.

"He's---he **was**---the wide receiver on our football team…and one of my best friends," Max said shakily.

"I'm sorry," the officer said sympathetically. Before he could say more, Casey, Rod, Nancy, and Joey walked up.

"Who are you?" the officer questioned.

"Well, Casey and Joey are students here, but I don't know those two," Principal Lassiter answered.

"We're their friends. We've been visiting them,' Rod stated.

"Can you tell me anything about Johnson boy's death?" the officer questioned.

"Who, Bobby?' Casey repeated.

"Yes, that's right," the officer confirmed.

"You wouldn't believe me," Casey said softly.

"Ms. MacDonald, if you know something, it'd be better for you to work with the police," Mr. Lassiter stated sharply. The officers looked at the man in disapproval. _Give the kid a break. She doesn't look like she got any sleep last night_, one thought to himself.

"I can tell you how he died---four razors to the chest," Casey declared.

"How did you know that?" the officer gasped. That information hadn't been released to the public, so how could this girl know that? She didn't seem like the killer type, but one could never tell.

"It was his dream---he was so frightened," Casey whispered.

"You saw it? And you didn't stop it?" Max questioned.

"I tried. I just wasn't fast enough," Casey answered.

"This is your fault! My best friend's dead because of **you**! You brought this freak here!" Max shouted.

"Now, wait a minute," Joey growled, getting in the other boy's face. "You've got no right talkin' like that," he continued.

"If she had just had the guts---" Joey went to shove him, but was intercepted by the officers.

"Easy, son," they told him.

"How could you say something like that? I thought you knew me," Casey said tearfully. Then, she ran off.

"Casey!" Joey exclaimed, breaking out of the officers' hold and running after her.

"Jerk," Nancy added, as she and Rod did the same. Casey stopped at a locker and angrily banged it with a fist. Joey put a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away. He started to pull her close. At first she struggled, but then collapsed into his arms and began to cry.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Master Down

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Yeah. I sensed that. We'll see. Thanks, you too.

StoryTagger: Yep. Unfortunately, that's true. Don't know yet. Okey-dokey. Yikes. Hmm. I see. Yeah, that's a good thing. I would be too. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeeT: Wow. Good person to kill. Don't blame you. I blew hot and cold on him. Thanks. Thanks. Sure. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Okay, okay, I know everyone wants to burn me at the stake, but just bear with me: the school year's been crazy. NOES belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema and LWD belongs to Canadian Television and Disney.

Several minutes later, Casey was all cried out.

"There. That feel better?" Joey questioned.

"A little," Casey replied, wiping away the tears. "I just don't see how Max could--"

"He's an idiot," Joey interrupted.

"Come on, let's take you home," Rod said.

"Yeah. There's nothing we can do here and you're in no shape for school," Nancy added.

"No. I'm okay. Just give me a minute," Casey told them.

"You sure?" Joey checked. Casey nodded.

"Thanks, for uh--letting me ruin your shirt," she said.

"No worries. That's what we got laundry for," he said. She laughed. He slipped an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, keener. I'll take you to your next class," he told her.

"Thug," she said fondly. Nancy and Rod looked at each other.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Nancy stated.

"Yeah, we don't exactly go to school here," Rod agreed. With that, they left. As they walked into the class together, Casey could feel everybody's eyes on them. Joey squeezed her shoulders and sat her down in a chair.

"Casey, are you okay?" Emily questioned.

"I'm fine…thanks to Rod, Nancy, and Joey," Casey responded, taking her things out and arranging them on her desk.

"Max will come around. He was probably just upset," Emily comforted. Casey scoffed.

"And that's an excuse?" she asked.

"Well--" her friend's voice trailed off. The girl really didn't know what to say to that.

"I was so stupid. I mean, he's just some dumb jock," she said.

"Casey," Emily said in surprise. Then, the teacher began lecturing and both girls were busy scribbling notes. However, twenty minutes into the class, the teacher's voice became droning and Casey had to fight to stay awake. She shook her head and tried to focus on her notes. However, it soon turned out to be a losing battle. _SCREE! Casey jumped up out of her seat. No one seemed to notice, but this didn't surprise the girl. No one ever noticed what happened in a dream unless it was their own or she brought them. The girl quickly ran down the hall_. _**Okay, Krueger. What are you playing at?**_ _she wondered. _ _Suddenly, she became aware of soft rose petals beneath her feet._

_"What?" she asked. __**Too weird**__, she thought to herself. Nevertheless, she followed the trail. Her surprise mounted when the trail ended and she saw Max._

_"Hi. Do you like it?" he asked timidly. __**No, no, no, no, no. This all wrong**__, she thought to herself. Max wasn't like this. She wished he was, but he wasn't._

_"It's…great," she answered, trying to figure out what Krueger was up to. Almost as if he had read her mind, the Max look-alike continued. "I just wanted to apologize for being such a jerk. I should've known you'd never willingly let anything happen," he said. "Do you forgive me?" he questioned._

_"You know, I __**would**__…except you're not Max," Casey answered, as she willed herself into her punk attire, complete with the two switchblades. Krueger roared and charged at her. Casey did a back flip, just barely escaping the attack. Their blades clashed and clanged. Krueger grunted and slashed her in the side. Casey grunted in pain and doubled over. Krueger took advantage of the momentary distraction to flick her back with a flick of his wrist. Casey suddenly found herself pinned to a bed that hadn't been there before. With another waved of his hand, a cuff came down over her wrist. A third movement of Krueger's hand brought the second cuff clamping over her other wrist. The ankle cuffs soon came down over her ankles. Krueger laughed sinisterly as Casey struggled. She tried to scream, but a final wave of his hand made her inaudible._

"Casey?" Emily questioned. She and her classmates stood up and gathered around the girl who had suddenly fallen out of her seat and had then had spread out eagle-style.

"Casey?" she questioned, kneeling down, and checking her neck pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt the throbbing beneath her fingers.

"Get a nurse!" she ordered. A boy ran to do so.

"Casey? Casey?" Emily questioned. However, there was no answer.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Going In

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

StoryTagger: Don't worry, they will. Hmm, good idea. Lol. This is true.

Kikistorie (ch 5): Thanks, whoops. Um…yikes. Hey, it's not 1428, right? Thanks.

MortalityIsAnExpiryDate: Thank you, I take that as a compliment. Of course. Thanks. No, I wouldn't be any good at it. Nope, go for it.

Potterfreak: Thanks. Thanks. You'll see…I will…of course. Yeah.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and Canadian Television. I only own characters you don't recognize. I didn't say anything in the previous chap, but the way I trapped Casey was inspired by NOES 3, and I use another scene from that film as well as some lines. A ref to "Don't Take A Tip From Me", and I believe I have the place right.

Several minutes later, Emily, Sam, Derek, Rod, Joey, Nancy, and the Venturi family were in the hospital. Along with them were Emily, Kendra, and Max.

"What's wrong with her?" George questioned.

"Is she going to be okay?" Emily and Kendra chorused.

"Yeah. When will she wake up?" Marti questioned.

"Your daughter's in a coma, Mr. Venturi," Dr. Mark Schneider answered.

"A coma?" George repeated. "Do…you have any idea what caused it?" he continued.

"No. We're--we're completely baffled," Dr. Schneider admitted. Joey blew out an annoyed sigh. Stupid doctor. He didn't know nothin'! It was Krueger! He had gotten her!

"She got tricked. He got her trapped," Joey said emotionally.

"Joey," Nora cautioned with a significant look at the doctor.

"At this point, there's nothing we can do but wait for her to wake up. I'm sorry," Dr. Schneider apologized.

"Thank you, Doctor," Nora stated.

"I'll let you guys have some privacy," the man stated, and then left.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Max questioned.

"What do **you** care? **You**'**re** the reason she got this way," Joey snapped.

"Joey," Nancy said.

"No! He blamed her! She fought hard to save that kid and he blamed her! He's the reason she's lying there!" Joey shouted.

"Is this true?" Nora demanded.

"Mrs. Venturi, I--" Max began.

"No, I don't want to hear it," Nora interrupted. "I thought you were a nice boy. It looks like I was wrong," she continued. Max stammered and turned to Derek and Kendra for help.

"Don't look at me, man," Derek told him.

"Yeah, even I'm not **that** stupid. There's a horrible killer around and you decided to abandon Casey," Kendra added. Max looked to the group, but found no support. With a sigh, he turned around and left. Meanwhile, Joey, Rod, and Nancy had walked up to the bed.

"Come on, Casey. Call us in," Joey urged softly.

"Don't let him get you. You're stronger than this," Nancy encouraged.

"Come on, girl. Bring us in. We're a team, remember?" Rod reminded her. The trio each put a hand on the girl. _Casey struggled against her bonds. She could faintly hear her friends, but she couldn't say anything. Krueger had made sure of that by taking her voice._ _**I can't believe that freak put me in a coma**_, _she thought to herself._ _Scree! Casey's eyes widened. Krueger chuckled and approached her._

_"A Dream Master…right where I want her," he sneered._ Hearing a scratching sound, Nancy gasped.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Look," Nancy said. They followed her gaze to see a series of words being etched into Casey's skin.

"Oh, my gosh," Rod breathed. With a flourish, the words finished, and they could all see the message: Mine now, Piggy!

"Freak," Rod growled.

"Let her go, you sick--" Joey's sentence trailed off emotionally. Casey whimpered.

"Call us in," Nancy urged softly. Presently, Nora noticed their upset stance.

"Kids, what's wrong?" she questioned, coming over to them.

"Uh--Nora, you might not wanna see this," Rod said as he and the others stood in front of their friend. She fixed the boy with a glare. He gulped and they all stepped aside. The woman froze when she saw the words. Her face paled.

"Mrs. Venturi, are you okay?" Rod queried.

"I can't believe--uh--" Nora stammered.

"I'll get you some water," Joey volunteered. He then went off to do so. It was then that the rest of the group realized that something was wrong.

"Nora, what is it?" George questioned.

"Fred's messing with my baby, and I can't do anything," Nora answered. Nancy and Rod looked at each other, and held a silent conversation with their eyes. They nodded to each other, both coming to an agreement. When Joey finally came back with a bottle of water for Nora, they stepped closer to him.

"Here you go, Nora," Joey said.

"Thank you, Joey," Nora responded, taking the bottle. Reading the expression on Nancy and Rod's faces, he nodded. With that, the three walked out.

"What's that about?" Edwin questioned.

"Dream stuff," Nora answered.

"I don't get it," Lizzie stated.

"Believe me, that's a good thing, honey," Nora vehemently told her. Confused, Sam, Derek, Emily, and Kendra followed the trio out the door. Nancy spotted an empty room and quickly ushered the others in.

"What's going on?" Emily questioned.

"What are you guys doing?" Kendra added.

"Look, it's obvious Casey can't call on us," Nancy started.

"Yeah, she would've pulled us in by now," Rod agreed.

"So we're going to her," Joey finished.

"What, you mean like link up?" Sam questioned.

"Precisely," Joey, Nancy, and Rod chorused.

"Have you ever done that before?" Derek asked.

"No. But it's worth a shot," Rod answered.

"I don't know about this," Kendra said doubtfully.

"I get that you're scared and confused, and I don't blame you. We're all on edge, and you guys have never faced this before," Nancy told them. "But Casey's in there. She **needs** us," she continued.

"I'm in," Derek declared. It was like he had told that guy Andrew at Smelly Nelly's: no one messed with his stepsister but him.

"Me too," Sam agreed.

"Let's get her back," Emily stated.

"I'm scared and I'm not sure I'll be of any use, but I'll help you," Kendra told them.

"That-a girl," Derek encouraged. There were some murmurs of excitement.

"I gotta warn you guys, this is **deeply** dangerous. If you die in this dream, it's for real. You don't have to go in if you don't want to," Nancy cautioned.

"We're in," the others assured.

"Stick together. And remember, Krueger will try **anything** to break you, so be on your guard," Joey told them. They all nodded.

"All right, everyone close your eyes. I'm gonna count backwards from ten. When I'm done, we'll all be asleep. We'll all be where Krueger has Casey," Nancy told them. They all did as they were told and the girl counted slowly. _ When they opened their eyes, Derek, Emily, Sam, and Kendra were surprised to see themselves in a dank boiler room._

"_Where are we?" Kendra wondered._

"_Oh, good, it worked," Nancy sighed in relief._

"_Come on, let's go get Casey back," Joey determined. They started down the hall. Suddenly, Kendra stopped._

"_What is it?" Sam asked._

"_Is it just me, or is something going on with this place?" Kendra queried. They looked around. To their surprise, the walls were shaking._

"_The room's changing! Grab onto each other!" Joey cried._ _Everyone quickly latched on to the other and continued down the hall. Kendra glanced at the walls. Her eyes widened when they began to ripple._

"_What the heck?" she questioned. A gloved arm burst out of the concrete! She screamed and jumped back. The others turned around. Then, their eyes widened when they saw the man coming out of the wall as the other wall began closing in on them._

"_Oh, my gosh," Nancy gasped._

"_Gonna get you," Krueger leered._

"_RUN!" Joey shouted. They all quickly sped up. Suddenly, the floor became slanted, and they all toppled downward.  
_


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Saving A Master

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Weird Romantic Gal: Here's more. Sorry it's not soon enough.

Potterfreak (Takes a bow): Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoyin' the fic. Here's more.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and Canadian Television. I only own characters you don't recognize. This chap is pretty much like NOES 3. Unintentional, but it happened, sorry.

_The teens tried to grab onto something to break their falls, but to no avail. As the floor came up fast, Derek instinctively put his hands out in front of him to break his fall. To his surprise, what seemed to be some sort of box enveloped the entire group. They all grunted as they landed._

_"Oh, terrific," Joey grumbled._

_"Hey, that's a cool power," Rod noted as the box disappeared._

_"What was __**that**__?" Sam wondered._

_"That's his dream power," Nancy answered._

_"__**Now**__ where are we?" Derek wondered, changing the subject as they each helped each other up._

_"I think it's another part of the boiler room," Rod said. They looked around._

_"Okay, so where's Casey?" Sam questioned. All of a sudden, they heard a chuckle. They all gasped._

_"What was __**that**__?" Emily wondered._

_"It's Krueger," Nancy responded. Scree! Emily screamed in fright. Scree! The others looked in the direction of the sound. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw Casey chained to a wall above what seemed to be a bottomless pit._

"_Casey!" Emily screamed. There was a chuckle and the man came into view._

_"Well, well, well. The gang's all here," he smirked._

_"Let go of her, Krueger!" Rod shouted._

_"As you wish," Krueger stated with a smile. Then, with a wave of his hand, the chains came unfastened._

_"NO!" Joey immediately started down a pipe, and it began to wobble. Rod quickly went over to keep it steady as Joey continued his descent. Nancy charged Krueger, doing a series of flips in the air. Derek, Emily, Sam, and Kendra looked at each other._

_"What do we do?" Kendra wondered._

_"Emily, Kendra, you help Rod. Sam and I will help Joey," Derek answered. _

_"Right," everyone agreed. Then, they quickly went to do as they were told. Meanwhile, the last chain had fallen and Joey quickly grabbed Casey's hands as she gave a startled yelp. When Krueger had released Casey from her bonds, he had apparently also restored her voice._

_"Come on," he groaned, straining to pull her up. They struggled, and Joey leaned forward._

_"Joey, you're gonna fall with me if you don't let me go!" Casey warned. He didn't answer, only grunted as he tried to haul her up. Suddenly, two other hands joined him. Joey, Sam, and Derek quickly pulled Casey up._

_"My hero," she said, giving Joey a quick peck on the cheek. Then, "Nancy!" With that, she jumped into the air, did a flip, and knocked Krueger to the ground. Rod and Joey quickly joined the fray. Again, Derek, Emily, Sam, and Kendra looked at each other. What should they do? They weren't used to this. Krueger lashed out at the kids, who quickly ducked out of the way. Suddenly, Casey took off._

_"What is she--" Emily's question trailed off, as her friends immediately followed her. Krueger gave chase._

_"Come on!" Derek said. The quartet quickly followed them. As they ran, Joey, Nancy, and Rod saw Casey indicate that they should split up and they did so. Krueger kept his gaze locked on Casey. So the little Warrior thought she could escape him, did she? He'd show her._

_"Come on, Krueger! Come and get me!" she called._

_"Gonna kill you slow!" he growled. Casey looked around. Just a little bit further. All she had to do was get to the boiler. Luckily the others had followed her instructions without asking questions. She could hear the freak coming after her. She could hear his heavy pants. She just had to get a little further. Finally, she was right where she wanted to be: in front of the furnace. She tugged on the door. __**Come on, come on, come on, come on**__, __**come on**__! she thought to herself. Man, it was too bad Rod wasn't here. Finally, she heard the hinges scrape and the door slowly moved. __**Yes**__! she silently cheered. Concentrating, she continued to open the door. It wasn't as effortless as it'd be for Rod, but she got the job done. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind!_

_"Think you could fool __**me**__?" Krueger sneered in her ear._

_"Dude, brush," Casey responded. She felt the coolness of a blade on her cheek._

_"Told ya I'd kill you slow," he taunted. Without warning, Casey felt a jolt of energy surrounding them. Krueger roared in pain and released her. Casey jumped out of the way. As Krueger shouted, Casey, Rod, and Joey looked at each other, and then nodded, each coming to the same decision. As one, they flipped through the air and let out a kick, which knocked Krueger closer to the furnace. Seeing her chance, Nancy pushed him in and they all closed the door. Krueger screamed in pain._

_"I'LL BE BACK!" he shouted. _With a gasp, Derek and the others woke up.

"Casey," Joey said. They all scrambled out of the room, ignoring the startled nurse. In her room, the EKG beeped as Casey's eyes fluttered open.

"Casey?" her mother gasped softly.

"Joey! Where's Joey?" she questioned.

"Right here. We're all right here," they heard him answer. Nora and the other members of the MacDonald/Venturi family turned around.

"Everyone okay?" Nora questioned.

"We're good," Joey answered, as he moved through everyone to stand in front of the bed as Casey sat up.

"I'm glad you're okay," he told her.

"Why didn't you let me go?" she wondered. He took her into a hug.

"I will **never** let you go," he said emotionally.


	17. Epilogue: Bright New Day

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Summers Rage: Glad you think so. Thank you.

Bethy Ann: Thanks. Scary's good, it means I did my job. Uh, not really what I was goin' for.

Weird Romantic Gal: Glad you liked. Yeah, I figured it was time. Thanks. Here's more.

XxBiTTeRxxSWeeT: Glad you like it. Glad you like it. No, not really. Thanks. Here's more. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and Canadian Television. I only own the plot. For most of the series, you may only see Nancy and Rod primarily in dreams, though I plan to have them phone Casey.

EPILOGUE: BRIGHT NEW DAY

The next day, Casey walked up the steps to J. Thompson High and meet up with Sam, Emily, Derek, Kendra, and Joey. Nancy and Rod had gone home shortly after Casey had woken up. Rod had gotten into a bit of trouble for driving without a license and not telling his parents where he was going. It would've been worse, but one of the few adults they had ultimately decided to trust, Lt. Thompson, Nancy's father, had handled the case.

"Hi, guys," Casey greeted.

"Hey, Casey," they chorused. Joey slung an arm around Casey's shoulders.

"You're lookin' good, girl," he commented.

"Thanks, Joey," she responded. They walked into the school entrance. Meanwhile, Max was waiting by her locker. When he saw Casey, he was surprised to see Joey's arm around her. The group walked up.

"Casey, we gotta talk…alone," Max stated.

"I have nothing to say to you, Max," Casey replied. "Now, could you please move? You're in front of my locker," she continued.

"Casey, I know I overreacted at Bobby's death, and I'm sorry," Max apologized. Casey started. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm supposed to accept that? Yeah, not gonna happen," Casey answered, as she grabbed her stuff from her locker.

"But that's not fair," Max protested.

"And neither was blaming her, you idiot," Kendra responded.

"Dude, you blew it," Derek stated. Having her books, Casey looked to the group.

"You guys ready?" she queried.

"Ready when you are," Joey answered. With that, she took her place next to Joey and they all went to class, leaving a speechless Max behind.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT TIME

Next time on Dream Masters: Casey and Joey learn that Fred Krueger's not the only one they have to fight in the Dream World. Something new has arrived and it's up to the Dream Masters to stop it.


End file.
